It doesn't have to. It contacts the C&C server where someone presumably decides whether to install further bots or more resident exploits.

The exploit seems to be more about stealth distribution and about dropping other malware. This makes sense because if a dropper is detected as malicious, it becomes useless due to its detection. (You can safely assume anything using a dropper is malicious)

This means that anti virus software should in theory only be able to detect the actual dropped malware. Any new malware could have had a field day with this exploit because both the dropper and malware would not have been detected.

From my understanding of the article it actually dropped the Lurk trojan but I get the feeling it could drop anything the C&C wants it to.

You have that position because you are paid to have it.

I come from the UK and personally find mathematics pretty difficult. I can work through problems on paper but my mental arithmetic is atrocious. By the time I two operands and an operator in my head and have broken up the problem into a simpler problem, I have forgotten the original two numbers...

That said, mathematics should come the more you practice. I like to blame the school curriculum -- it is shit. The only reason why I am valuable is because I acquired computing skills playing on computers as a child.

I'd like to blame mathematics textbooks but I cannot. My generation and a few before me have lost the willpower and motivation to actually study and learn things properly. Our education system does not really promote mathematics that well. My school staff was rife with young twenty somethings fresh out of university with no real ability to teach...

Teaching has lost its respect and professionalism in the UK too. Add to the fact it became okay and even cool to be ignorant in modern culture.

I think you're missing the point.

It would have taken you a second to find out yourself:

http://www.google.com/search?sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=apple+engineered+to+fail&btnG=Search&pbx=1&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=apple+planned+obsolescence&psj=1&oq=apple+planned+obsolescence&aq=f&aqi=g1g-v1g-b2&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=4277l7438l0l7568l26l22l0l0l0l1l354l3426l6.10.3.2l21l0&fp=1&biw=1079&bih=850&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&cad=b

Apple mobile devices are sealed shut, you're not supposed to replace the batteries yourself. They're not supposed to last.

It's not conducive to discussion to call people trolls who you do not agree with.

If you're telling me with a straight face that Apple devices are not engineered to fail in time for the next Apple device, I just can't believe you. Apple devices are consumer electronics, they're designed to be replaced every year. You're supposed to go out and buy another iPhone or iDevice at the next keynote speech. That's what you're supposed to do. I prefer to have a device that is rugged and the vendor is not just trying to milk me into buying the next one.

They said they dropped CarrierIQ but as some other commentator said, the tracking is now baked into iOS.

Imaginary problem? I'm sorry but being able to install what you want is a problem and security is no excuse. It is a trap and guarantee revenues, the security is a side benefit. I should not have to pay a fee to develop for my own device.

I highly doubt any of my concerns and my priorities are in tune with you as you already own Apple devices, you like the advantages they provide. A buyer who is mostly satisfied will never admit any flaws of a product he likes. (Post purchase rationalization) Let's just accept that you like what iDevices provide you and that I want nothing to do with them.

My phone says it was made in Hungary but I imagine it was only assembled there and the components were made in China. The battery was made in China. Unfortunate but an improvement over a completely Chinese manufactured device.

To those who have been watching Apple for years, this is just a long list of transgressions that make it obvious to avoid Apple.

- Walled gardens, vendor lock in
- Taking down applications from the App Store and including versions in iOS
- Spurious litigation and anti-competitive lawsuits in Germany and Australia
- CarrierIQ, GPS tracking privacy gaffes
- Planned failure just after warranty period (ever since the original pod)

When you think of products that are so anti consumer (not necessarily anti-usability), Apple comes to mind. As for many here, it's just business as usual as I will never buy an Apple product (especially after the first pod) anyway.

I am sorry! I was referring to the guy who made the *isanidiot' account. Just seems strange how he would single out your journal...

I should pay more attention to American politics!

http://slashdot.org/~FreeCoder

Highly suspicious.

Hello DCTech, DavidSell, InsightIn140Bytes etc.

I think BrowserID and OpenID solve slightly different problems. BrowserID standardized the process of you logging in through your web browser while OpenID is about authenticating yourself through some authority (be it a server controlled by you or some third party). So that's a user-website interaction for BrowserID or website-website for OpenID.

They could actually be used together, any service that accepts OpenID logins could expose a BrowserID interface too.

BrowserID is pretty simple. It's basically a single Javascript function that a website can call in the browser. This example on github shows the function that is called. The clientside code is then free to make requests to the server for a specific authentication mechanism, making it very flexible. The Server code just validates the username/password.

Personally, I think it's simpler to understand than things like OpenID which are convoluted and not standardized from the user point of view. Where is the standard account management protocol for OpenID?

An older Slashdot article on BrowserID for reference: http://www.yro.slashdot.org/story/11/07/15/1216222/Mozilla-BrowserID-Decentralized-Federated-Login

Not heard of Enigform but will look into it!

Try Sins of a Solar Empire, I have never been able to beat that game's AI, the game is very slow to play.

SimCity is fun but gets difficult when you don't know what is wrong.

Hmm have a look at this: http://aigamedev.com/open/highlights/top-ai-games/
I had no idea some of these games had those features though to be honest.